‘Nobody offers me light-hearted films’

In spite of being around for nearly 11 years in the film industry, Jimmy Sheirgill has still not become as well-established an actor as some of his contemporaries have.
After a long time since the film Yahaan, he finally hit the right note with A Wednesday. But failures don���t deter the actor at all, as he says, ���My journey as an actor has been slow and steady.I was very happy to be a part of A Wednesday and the feedback it received has been overwhelming.��� As a person, Jimmy likes to be low profile. ���Each one has a personal take on success and I feel I have had a fair share of success. I concentrate only on the work and not much about the BO success. I come out of my shell only when I need to promote a film.���
Jimmy feels that today, ���success is measured in terms of how much you are seen around.��� But he himself doesn���t partake in that. ���I like my work to speak for myself. I���ve noticed that over the years people have liked my work and I���ve gained a lot of respect from them. For me getting noticed doesn���t work. Doing what is right is more important,��� he says.
Doesn���t he think that in A Wednesday, his performance was overshadowed by stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher? ���No, not at all,��� says Jimmy, ���When you read a script, you know your character and your space and you work towards it. I was not scared at all as I���ve been doing character roles since a long time in films like Munnabhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munnabhai and I���ve been appreciated big-time for each and every role. I���ve been lucky enough to always get good reviews. And I guess it is sincerity that gets paid off finally.���
What effort is Jimmy making to grow as an actor amidst all the talks of six-packs in this competitive industry? ���I don���t think about competition. I work on my looks depending on the role that I���m playing in a movie. If they need me to have a well-toned physique then I���ll work towards that too. I work according to the demands of a character,��� he replies.
Jimmy will now be seen in three films ��� Flat which is a supernatural thriller, Soojit Sircar���s Johnny Mastana which is a family drama and Ishant Dwivedi���s Bachelor Party which is a comedy. The last comedy film he did was Tom Dick and Harry, which was quite some time back. ���I love to do light-hearted roles but it���s funny that nobody offers me such films. Comedy is difficult but I enjoy it and I feel my comic timing is also good,��� he says.